A fine line between love and hate
by The1upguy
Summary: How powerful can three words be. Well that's an easy question to answer...if the three words are "I LOVE YOU!" However, what if one of those words was different. And what if that hatred was spoken by someone you thought loved you unconditionally. *Rated T for very infrequent coarse language.* Basically I think I used a curse word once or twice


**Nearly a dozen years had passed since Malefor fell, and in that time, Warfang prospered more than she did before the war. However, there were still** ** _two_** **issues that disrupted the world of the purple and gold dragon, and one was going to be settled during this trip to the southern colony of the Wolves.**

 **A neutral sight, offered to the Grublin nation with hopes of ending the escalating conflict, months after the deadliest attack since the war itself. Seven dragons were killed after disturbing an unknown nest of the creatures, and before Spyro could stop the inevitable, a hundred dragons swarmed that city of insects.**

 **They destroyed everything that moved, and brought with it the wrath of an entire species that remained at bay for nearly a decade.**

 **The purple hero himself was called to make peace, as he was the only one who could avert another war. And after a hard pressed week of defending himself in their home lair, without fighting back, they realized he was not a threat, and their answer was finally given.**

 **YES**

 **Another week of great tension and anguish followed, leaving Spyro's nerves frazzled as he kept this frail peace between Dragon and Grublin, bringing a justified conclusion to a war that was never meant to be started in the first place. And as the treaty was signed, every single insect-like creature stopped their swarming frenzy, and simply left the village...hopefully never to be seen again.**

 **Now, the only issue driving Spyro to the breaking point, is Sparx...his ten year old son.**

* * *

 **A fine line between love and hate**

* * *

There was a cold gaze in the large wolf-like creature's eyes, and that is what made it so terrifying for Sparx, especially hearing what came from his mouth.

 _Did he just say he wants to kill Spyro and Cynder?_

As hard as it is for this young dragon to remain still, he does, wanting now to hear more of this conversation, realizing he was never seen sneaking into this secret meeting. He remains like a statue, buried behind dozens of boxes, listening intently to the conspiring voices that speak as if they are not being heard.

"Are you sure you want to do that, Sir?" another voice asks this well dressed wolf, and his smile becomes even more pronounced upon his rugged face.

"As sure as the Sun will rise tomorrow."

The young dragon, using the cunning ability given by his parents lineage, remains invisible within the shadows. Like a fly on the wall, Sparx listens to the particulars of their devious plans.

"We will kill them tomorrow night while they head through the Forbidden Forest, on the way to the palace, as Spyro will be honored for this garbage treaty." the wolf remarks, looking around to make sure no one is watching, then continuing his plan.

"We will then use the Grublins we killed this morning, plant them at the sight, and end this treaty quickly..." Anger marks dig deep into Sparx's face, as this wolf gives his reasoning for planing an attack on his family. "...then we will make millions in gold and gems with our defensive weapons, when the war begins again!"

Nearly an hour passes before this dark meeting breaks, allowing for the young master to understand all the strategy they have planned to assassinate the hero of Avalar. However, to make sure he is not seen leaving, the only son of Spyro and Cynder remains behind for a few extra minutes.

After enough time of hearing nothing, Sparx finally makes his way to the only exit. He uses a gentle paw, pushing the wooden door a fraction of an inch, peering out a small gap to ensure a clean getaway.

 _I gotta tell my dad what I just heard..._ he says to himself, knowing these wolves are brazen, and will try to slay his mother and father tomorrow. However, as the sound of a fog horn can be heard off in the distance.

"OH CRAP!" Sparx barks out, realizing the ship he is supposed to be on with his mother and father has already left the port, heading back across the vast ocean towards Warfang and the Valley of Avalar.

"He's gonna kill me first!"

The young dragon blazes a path to the harbor, trying his best to catch the fast-ferry his father told him not to miss. However, in his haste, Sparx does not see the old wolf that he was eves-dropping upon had been returning the favor, and an arrogant smile fills his face.

"We appear to have a situation, boys..." he says into a small communication device, knowing the young dragon overheard this deadly conversation, and will report it to his dad. "...I think we will need to move the execution to tonight."

* * *

"I don't understand it, Cynder..." Spyro remarks with anguish in his voice, stressed from a long fought battle to end the last conflict on the planet...well almost the last one. The now late twenty something dragon enters the beachfront cave he, his wife, and his son have called home for more than eleven years. "...he is getting more defiant to me every day, and I am wondering if it is my fault."

"He's ten, Honey..." Cynder replies, draping her scarlet red wing upon her husband's back, and nuzzling her cheek against his. "...and as I can recall...you were a bit of a spoiled little bad ass yourself at his age."

"Hey! I was fighting against the Dark Master at the time, and had only been away from my home for like a month. The Guardians were the ones that put me on a pedestal...so I played along. I was actually terrified half the time..." Spyro retorts, a slight tone of sarcasm in his voice. He knows she is only trying to keep the peace between her head strong boys, and Spyro shows his appreciation with a soft peck upon her cheek.

"...and remember, sweetie... _I_ was _not_ the bad ass of this duo at that age, Ms. Terror of the Sky."

Cynder shows her hubby a very smug grin, then gives him a much more pronounced kiss directly upon the muzzle.

"And you had such a crush on me that it was almost pathetic..." she says, draping her sightly larger wings out, then wrapping them around her husband of more than a decade now. "...which is why I am still alive, and the happiest and proudest wife and mother on all of Avalar."

She says nothing else, letting her sparkling green eyes speak volumes, along with her lips. All of his anger is taken by Cynder's taste, as she literally poisons Spyro with her love.

Mid lip-lock, the purple dragon begins looking around his home, seeing the countless portraits of his small family hanging on the cave walls. However, it is at this moment he begins feeling the pain again, as none of the paintings are from the last year. A year spent defending the land he loves from a constant threat of The Swarm

"Where did I go wrong, Honey?" he suddenly asks, causing a bit of pain in her heart, as Spyro breaks away from his wife's grasp, and strolls up to a particular photo.

A smile slowly retakes his face, seeing his whelpling boy in the picture holding daddy's horns as they fly around the valley. He closes his eyes, recalling the many moments that prompted him to have this painting done.

He again looks up at the small two toned-purple and gold chested dragon that took him by surprise, as he wasn't expecting to get Cynder pregnant at such a young age. But knowing how much they loved each other, he was still easily up to the challenge of father-hood.

Well, that is what he had thought.

"It was so much easier then..." he continues, staring at the smile that never seems to be on his boy's face anymore. "...I was his hero!"

Spyro turns his head down to look Cynder in the eyes, as she now stand by his side.

"You are _still_ his hero, Spyro..." she remarks, her voice more solid then the granite floor she stands upon. However, it is not a solid as the grasp she put upon her husband's shoulder. "...don't ever forget that!"

"I don't know anymore..." he replies, angering Cynder further, however, as Spyro explains, her grasp becomes lighter upon his arm. "...he has lied to me on several occasions now, and was quick to walk away when I tried talking to him about his attitude in school lately."

"He's _ten,_ Spyro!" she reiterates, knowing exactly how most kids act, as she has become a teacher of history, in the Dragon University. "They _all_ behave like that at this age!"

"But... he's not like any other child, Cynder...and you know that," Spyro returns somberly, also having personal experience in what he is speaking about, living the beginning of his life as the giant odd-ball in a group of dragonflies.

"His power is far greater than anyone around him...and I'm afraid that he is starting to walk the wrong path."

Cynder frowns at her husband at this moment, then turns and walks away in a huff. She knows he has been stressed out over the past two weeks, but what she just heard was painful to hear her husband say.

"You need to get some sleep, sweetie..." Cynder grumbles with an agitated voice, stopping at the door to their sleeping chamber, then glaring back at the dragon see loves with daggers. Her eyes then break, filling with tears as she looks at the portrait just over her husband's left shoulder, recalling the joy she sees within her son every time he flies with his father

"...because you just started comparing _our baby_ to Malefor."

* * *

A hundred thoughts, like how nice and soft his cushioned sleeping area is, have been running through the mind of an exhausted little dragon. Also, the crunch of hunger as a nearly nine hour flight across the ocean left Sparx with no where to break and forage for even a minute.

However, as he reaches the beach his home faces, and can see the cave he lives in is still lit with a roaring fire, the first thoughts he had on the trip home return quickly.

 _I am so dead._

He knows he's been a bit of a bastard in the past months, as his thoughts began of how angry his father would be, especially after he told him five times not to be late for the fast ferry home.

 _But he can't be angry this time...not with the news I have._

Charged with this thought, Sparx zips down from the sky with the last bit of energy he has. However, as he reaches the mouth of the cave, and can see his father is sleeping by the fire, a different idea comes to his mind.

 _Maybe I should wake mom, and tell her first._

The thought, littered with the right intentions, backfires the moment he tries tip-toeing past his father's snoring muzzle.

"What are you trying to do?!" Spyro fires with anger in his voice, getting to his feet, and cornering his son directly in the middle of the room. "Do you think you were going to walk past me and into your room, so you can lie about being home before mid-night!"

"No, Dad!" Sparx replies emphatically, terrified at the rage he sees in his father's eyes. "I'm sorry I missed the ferry but I have a reason for it."

Spyro pauses for a moment, then with a doubting tone asks the question

"What reason do you have for disobeying me _this_ time?!"

Sparx is crushed by his father's doubt, and this forces him to pause as well. However, knowing what must be heard is important, the young dragon wastes no more time in explaining what he saw during the treaty signing.

"I am _not_ going to keep dealing with your lies and excuses, Sparx...I told you to be back in the port before we set sail..."

Sparx suddenly grasps his father, holding him tightly with his claws.

"Didn't you _hear_ me, damnit?! They're gonna try to kill you and mom!" he barks, shaking his father with a great deal of strength he didn't know he had left, as the adrenaline begins pumping strong within the young dragon.

Under great pressure, having negotiated the peace between Grublin and Dragon, Spyro is overly exhausted, and doesn't hear his son's words. He snaps, grasping his boy with a stronger paw and pushing him back against the wall.

"DON'T YOU EVER... _EVER_ PUT YOUR PAWS ON ME LIKE THAT!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS _WRONG_ WITH YOU, DAD?!" Sparx replies, and with this loud defiant tone, Spyro's paw is across his son's face. It sends a chilling pain down both dragon's spines, as the young father has never laid a paw on his boy before.

"HEY..." Cynder yells, rushing to the scene she never thought possible. "...WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!"

"I'm tired of having my own child disrespect me, Cynder," he flames with anger still influencing his words, staring at his blood with the same disgust he had for the Grublin army that made these last few weeks so hard. "and it's gonna stop...TONIGHT!"

"I am trying to tell you something important, Dad..." Sparx replies, and instead of ending the issue by calming down and telling his father what needs to be heard, the young dragon increases his father's rage, by being a teenager. "...but you don't seem to hear me with your head so far up your..."

"ENOUGH!" Cynder barks, stopping her stubborn husband from doing something he will regret for ever, as his paw draws back to strike again.

He looks at her, then his paw, then back to his son, whom shows great fear in his eyes.

"Please... Go to your room, Sparx!" he says, his voice broken with what he just did.

"But, Dad!"

"Just go, Sparx!" Spyro barks angrily, releasing his grasp, hoping his son will heed his words.

His fear of striking him full force begins to take its toll, and Spyro just wants the young dragon out of sight so he can calm down. But his soul cannot prepare him for what he hears come from his son's mouth.

"I _hate_ you!" Sparx cries, pushing past his father, before running into his room.

* * *

Only an hour had passed since the fight, but to Cynder, it seem like days. Her husband, lying beside her in their sleeping chamber, breathing deep and staring at the roof, has been hard for the normally calm dragoness to take.

And finally, even she snaps.

"If you don't get up and go talk to your son...I am gonna smother you with my cushion, Spyro!"

The purple dragon finally blinks, then turns his head towards his beloved.

"He said he _hates_ me, Cynder..." Spyro replies slowly, as several tears that have pooled for that hour fall from his face. "...how... what..."

His wife's paw is quickly to his trembling mouth, stifling the pointless thoughts he has. She cranes her head over to him, and kisses the bridge of her darling husband's nose.

"He does not hate you, my stubborn purple hero..." she says, her words so confidently assuring that Spyro feels a surge of positive energy. And even more so, as his wife helps him to his feet with a very powerful embrace.

"...he _misses_ you...and the way you used to do _everything_ with him," Cynder continues, making sure her husband realizes what is been driving her son crazy lately.

Spyro shows a bit of disgust in his eyes, knowing he has been busy this past year with duties that only he could perform, and that his family suffered without having their patriarch around.

"It has been a while since I did something fun with my boy," Spyro remarks, his eyes catching another picture, one that was actually taken with a new device called a camera. And though the print is black and white, the joy seen within the picture is clear as crystal.

Spyro looks upon the photo, depicting a dragon flying around with another dragon on it's back, and two holes where he and his son placed their faces for the picture. However, unlike the portrait in the living room, Spyro is riding upon his son's back.

"He was so happy that day..." the young father remarks, then recalls what followed the next day, as Warfang's hero was called away for urgent matters. "...it was the day before the Grublins destroyed Titan's Point, bringing us to the brink of war again."

"And since that day..." Cynder remarks herself. "...you've been around less and less, to the point that even when you were here...his _dad_ was not!"

Spyro lowers his head, knowing how preoccupied he has been for the better part of a year, and this attitude his son has been giving him, was only to get some attention from his father.

"I can be such a blind jerk sometimes," he confesses, then looks at Cynder with a smug grin when she remains silent.

"What?! Were you waiting for me to _disagree_ there?!"

Spyro gives her a look, which makes his wife smile even further. He then places a very soft kiss upon her cheek, and wishes her a restful slumber, knowing he will not be coming back to bed for a while.

"Don't wait up for me sweetheart, I think I may go out for a late night flight with my son."

She blows a kiss at the door her husband walks from, before curling back up on her large red cushion, and resting gently with better thoughts of her boy's future.

Spyro detours on the way to his son's room, filling a small satchel with Sparx's favorite mushrooms from the pantry, hoping his boy will enjoy the thought of a late supper somewhere alone with his dad. He then heads down the long corridor leading from the kitchen area to the living room, where Sparx's room sits off to the side by itself.

Suddenly a loud noise startles the purple dragon and Spyro becomes deeply concerned. He can tell it came from his son's room, but what is frightening is the sound is accompanied by voices, and none are from his boy.

"WHO IS _THAT_?!" He barks, and with his call, nearly a dozen armor-clad wolves exit his son's sleeping chamber, all with their bloodied knives and swords drawn.

Time stands still for both parties involved, as different emotions toy with their minds.

Fear and adrenaline begin taking their toll on the wolves, realizing their assault on Spyro is not going according to plan. The purple dragon was supposed to be sleeping, and they are not ready to take on the hero, head to head.

Their fear only increases as his scales begin to turn black, darkening with a power he's not used in more than ten years.

However, for Spyro, every second becomes an eternity wondering about the well-being of his only child.

"SPARX!" he yells out, and when no answer is given in return, the purple dragon freaks out.

Truly believing he has lost his most prized possession, Spyro taps into a power he would not use after the birth of his child, never wanting Sparx to see the dark side of his himself.

With great prejudice, Spyro ignites the crew sent to kill his family with a beam of Convexity, annihilating the threat to himself and Cynder with one furious blast.

However, he knows the damage is done.

Spyro drops the satchel he was holding, allowing the mushrooms to spill upon the floor before him, reminding him of a day that he and his wife picked them with their baby boy. It is the first of many memories that flood his mind, as a broken father now runs to the room he angrily sent his child only an hour ago.

Tears pour from his eyes as he shouts out his boy's name several times, and none of the calls returned...not even a moan.

His heart breaks as these memories fade to one last vision of his son...and a memory that will haunt this father until the end of his days.

 _I hate you._

Sparx's words ring louder in his ears then the heart that's pounding in his chest, moving his feet faster and faster

"He can't be..." Spyro cries, hearing those three words playing over and over in his mind. Seeing his young child's face showing such anger... such rage... such hatred.

 _That can't be the last thing I ever hear from my son._

Spyro slides on the dust of his victims with all four paws, drifting like a small sports car, allowing the large purple and gold dragon to keep his momentum while turning ninety degrees into Sparx's room. However, the next thing he sees brings the purple hero to a grinding halt, falling to his golden stomach as his feet give out from under him.

"By the Ancestors...NO!"

A single sword sticks up from the big pile of cushions his son has acquired over the years, and every single one stolen from his mom and dad.

They would disappear one by one, forcing Spyro and Cynder to purchase a new sleeping cushion every few months. Sparx would hide them in his room for a few weeks before stashing the large pillows with the rest in plain sight, then sleep on those particular cushions until his parents' scent wore off. Which meant he would need to take another.

Now, the last pillow he took is occupied, draped with his son's covers, and skewered with a long blade.

"SPARX!" he yells only feet from his child's body, as his paws still won't work for the moment, but as the covered lump refuses to move, Spyro finds the strength to get his own paws going.

However, he cannot believe his eyes, as he tares the comforter away, revealing the dead body of...

"A Deer?!"

The confused father is overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions, but notices quickly this is the same deer that he and Sparx hunted earlier in the week, and was supposed to be in the cold storage area in the back of the cave.

Spyro's purple eyes then lock upon his son's dresser, and the many awards his boy has received over the years. However, one item in particular is gone, an item he would not leave behind, as it was given to the young dragon by his Uncle, and namesake.

"He ran away!" he says with an odd tone of joy in his voice, realizing his son is not dead.

A wide smile fills Spyro's muzzle seeing the gold sculpture of his dragonfly brother has been taken from the spot it only moves from when his son takes it with him on long trips.

"Thank the Ancestors...He ran away!"

Meanwhile, in the living room, Cynder is startled at the sight of pure carnage in her own home. Broken swords and scorch marks line the floor, showing the dark dragoness that her husband has used a power he promised never to tap while Sparx was around.

"Spyro?!" She asks, her voice draped in confusion, not exactly understanding what has happened.

It only gets more confusing as Spyro bolts from his son's room with the exuberance of a child.

"HE RAN AWAY, BABY...SPARX RAN AWAY!" he yells with joy, grasping his wife, and dancing around the room with her like a mental patient, before laying the most emotional charged kiss he has ever planted on her face.

"WHAT ARE YOU _TALKING_ ABOUT?!" She yells, pushing her husband away to get a word in, however, he just continues with this crazy rant

"HE RAN AWAY, CYNDER...HE'S NOT DEAD!" he says again, holding her tightly for a few seconds before taking off towards the cave exit. "WOO HOO...MY SON RAN AWAY!"

"Wow...he really needs to get some sleep!"

* * *

Upon a small cliff overlooking the vast Valley of Avalar, a young two-toned purple and gold dragon remains curled up trying to keep warm in the night's cool breeze. The tears pouring from his face, chilling the sides of Sparx's muzzle, as the cold winds howl over and over.

 _What am I_ doing _?_ he says to himself, trying hard to keep his spine from rattling out of his back. Even the fire he has made is doing little to keep the frost from coating his scales, as the temperature continues to drop during the wee hours of the night.

 _I'm such an idiot._

The young dragon looks down toward the Cheetah Village below, as a small light from a torch takes his attention, emerging from one of the many huts. His heart breaks further, noticing it is a father taking his son out for a hunt, and remembering the last time he and his father went hunting together.

In fact, the deer he left behind was the first one Sparx ever took down without his father's assistance.

"How the hell could I say that to him..." he remarks aloud, looking down at the open satchel he took with him, and the gold statue of his favorite realitive. "...I don't hate him, Uncle Sparx... I love my dad!"

 _You got a hell of a way of showing it, you imbecile!_

The voice comes from within himself, as he always enjoys talking to this little dragonfly, whom never lies and speaks his mind...a lot. In fact, Sparx's conversations with his uncle are sometimes hours long when he visits, giving Spyro's son valuable information about who his dad was as a whelpling.

Probably another reason why he and his father will bump heads on occasion.

"I really messed up this time, Uncle Sparx..." the young dragon continues, then pauses as the cheetah warrior he has been watching, hoists his son upon his back, then carries him for a fast ride into the woods.

The slight grin he has fades fast, knowing he may never get a chance to do that again with his own father.

"...I've been a jerk for the last six months, and I'm ashamed for what I've done. I know he is doing what he has to for the world, but he is my dad, and I don't want him to be away all the time." Sparx looks over at the inanimate statue. "For some idiotic reason...I blamed him for that. Why would I do something so stupid?"

Sparx pauses, hoping for a reply, but since he has none himself, the golden dragonfly remains quiet.

"So..what do I do now?" he grumbles, shaking his head with the confusion of the moment, realizing his future is not bright on this ledge alone, however, this time the statue barks in his ear, making sure he knows what he must do

 _You get your stubborn ass up, and go home...before he notices._

"Good idea, Sparx..." he says to himself, gathering the statue that watches over him during the night back into his satchel, and snuffing the small fire he made to stay kinda warm. " I can't apologize from here...and this is not as comfortable as my cushions back home..."

He smiles looking at the gold figure, giving Sparx a pronounced wink as he recalls what he did to his bed.

"...although I gotta get rid of the one I put that deer on."

He scoops up into the satchel, looping the leather strap around his neck before taking off.

 _. . . and I'd wait at least a month or two before you dare steal another one from your dad._

"More like a year or two."

The young dragon leaps from his perch and opens his wings wide, using the strong updraft that has froze him to the bone to carry him up and back towards the beach and his home.

He can see the cave the moment he rises, as Sparx never went further than a mile from the spot he spent his entire life, truly afraid of leaving the confines of what he knows alone at night. As strong as the two-toned purple and gold, hybrid shadow dragon is, the Forbidden Forest terrifies him. And other than crossing the ocean for nine hours again, which was not an option, the small son of Spyro had to wait till morning to actually run away.

However, as his home lights up with a powerful purple light, and his name is yelled aloud, Sparx begins rethinking his idea of heading to the Forbidden Forest.

 _Coward._

His uncle's voice is so strong in his ears, that the thought of running becomes distant, and Sparx lowers to the ground by the mouth of his cave.

"HE RAN AWAY!" he can hear his father yell, and Sparx cringes hard, realizing how badly he is busted.

His father emerges from the cave only fifty feet from him, startling the purple dragon to break his charge. Spyro looses his footing on the sands outside his home, like a cat on a ceramic tile floor, slaming to the ground on his stomach, but keeping his paws going. A few fruitless strides, which leave five foot deep trenches where his paws finally hit harder sands, allow the five ton dragon to make the hard turn towards his only son.

"SPARX!" Spyro cries out, and thought his voice is very enthusiastic, the young dragon cannot tell. His father's words are muffled by the sand and the strain of near falling, so Sparx begins to back away.

"I'm sorry, Dad...I never meant to," is all he says before Spyro reaches his boy, grasping him tightly with his front paws and taking his son in a strong embrace.

Sparx cringes hard, actually sending out a pulse of Electricity to defend himself, believing his father is angry. Spyro takes the power as if it is nothing, holding his son tighter against his chest, letting his boy to feel the love within.

"You have _nothing_ to be sorry about, Sparx..." His father's words stop the terrified fidgeting, allowing him to loosen his grip and yet still hold his boy tightly. "...you are the hero tonight."

Standing up high on his hind legs, Spyro raises his son to his eye level, then plants a very strong kiss upon his forehead.

" _You_ saved _my_ life, and I am grateful!"

The awkward look in his son's eyes, force Spyro to smile, and the small voice of his uncle returns to Sparx's head.

 _I don't know what's going on either, but I would just go with it for now._

"Th..thank you, Dad," he replies slowly and with no confidence, making his father smile wider.

"I'm sorry I've been a bit of a pain in the butt, son..." Spyro remarks first, shocking Sparx as he apologizes before him, and suddenly realizing he's the real jerk of the father son pair more and more every second.

"...I was occupied with a lot of stuff, but I should have at least talked to you a bit more during this last year..." he continues, making Sparx feel even more guilty. "...it would have _helped_ me as well, if I had spoken to my very _intelligent_ son from time to time."

 _He is buttering you up, dude...he knows everything, so tell him everything you just told me or you're not gonna walk for a week._

"I also wanted to say I'm sorry, Dad..."

"For which thing?" Spyro cuts his son off, his voice a bit more on the agitated side now. Sparx's eyes open wide, seeing his father is baiting him and a very wry grin crosses his face as well.

"For lying to my father."

It is not the reason he was expecting him to give, but Spyro takes the reverse bait.

"And what lie would that be?"

Sparx looks to the cave and smiles as his mother exits, hoping she would also be in there to hear his apology to his father, as she was an audience as he said the worse thing that ever left his mouth.

"When I told you that I hate you, cause nothing could be further from the truth..."

Sparx uses his power to force himself from his father's paws, and clinches a pair of strong arm's around his dad's chest. Tears begin pouring from his eyes, listening to the beat of his father's heart while laying down the truth

"...I love you, Dad, and I only wish to be more like you."

Spyro encases his child within his wings, hugging him as if he never said it, for in his mind, he didn't

"Thank you, Sparx...that means more to me than you know."

Spyro lays his chin upon his boy's head, and takes the love he has needed for a long time. However, still exhausted from the night's tensions, and also from flying nine hours straight, Sparx begins to yawn.

"I hope you don't think your going to sleep now?"

Sparx tries to raise his head, but dad holds him put with his restraining hug.

"You have to catch another deer for the feast tomorrow."

"What?!"

Spyro releases his son and walks over to his wife. He grasps her paw, draping it around to his other shoulder, then hunching his body against hers with exhaustion.

"The ceremony is still tomorrow, and your mother said I need to rest or I may get sick."

The young dragon, knowing there is no way he can corner and capture a deer himself, especially at night, begins whimpering as his mom and dad simply walk away and enter the cave.

"But I'm tired too." he says softly, knowing he cannot talk back now, however his father has good ears, and his voice is shouted back from deeper inside the cave.

"Well, you should have thought of that before placing our gift to the feast in your bed for a nap!"

Frustrated at his father's sarcastic tone, and truly believing he is going to have to do this alone, especially as the fire in the living room is extinguished, the young dragon retorts to saying the most sarcastic thing he can.

"I DON'T _LIKE_ YOU AGAIN, DAD..." he says loudly, knowing his father will understand the joke, however, the second part he keeps to himself, as he is actually mad.

"...and I hope you have a nightmare of me being skewered by a deer's antlers!"

Spyro, waiting just on the inside of the cave with Cynder, pops out as Sparx finishes his little rant, catching his boy with a very embarrassed look upon his face.

"Only if you try to take the thing head on again..." he says, startling Sparx, whom believed he had gone all the way back in the cave.

Knowing his son is just a bit smaller then a legal full-sized buck. And since magic is prohibited on the hunting ground, he could easily be overpowered by the stronger animal. "...I don't wanna see another incident like the last time we went hunting, when you blew that poor deer that was gonna ram you clear across the forest and into the river."

"Ahem! Excuse me, Dad...but as I recall it, I didn't kill him, so I didn't get in trouble for what I did to protect myself." he barks back, circling in front of his father, and flying backward to speak to him eye to eye. It is at this moment he sees his mother emerge from the cave, and a smug grin fills his face "...not like someone, whom shall remain nameless, that was banned from pheasant season for three months because he got caught using his ice breath to slow them down, allowing his old ass to catch them!"

"Shut up about that!"

Sparx looks at his mom, whom had to assume the responsibility of hunting for that season, and smiles seeing her suddenly take a big interest in the conversation.

"Whoa... he did _what_?" she barks, recalling the story told differently by her husband, as he had said he pulled a muscle in his wing.

"Oh... I hate you!" Spyro says to his boy, and a wide smile suddenly fills both of their faces.

" _Now_ we're even, Dad," Sparx remarks arrogantly, and father and son begin laughing. Spyro grasps his boy, flipping him up over his shoulder, and Sparx quickly knows what to do, holding on to his dad's horns for a fast escape from Mom.

The purple dragon is at full speed in three steps, his wife racing behind with no real intent of harming her husband, only playing along as she sees this family bonding stronger than it ever has

"You are going to pay for that, Spyro!" she barks, and her husband eggs her and her son on in one sentence.

"Only if you catch us. _Slowpoke_."

Cynder picks up her pace, and though she can easily overtake her husband, especially carrying a passenger nearly a quarter his own size, see stays back, remaining tight on Spyro's tail.

"She's gaining on us, what are you waiting for, Sparx? Help me go faster!" Spyro barks, as his son just sits calmly upon his father's shoulders, enjoying a ride he has not had for more than a year.

"I'm not five anymore Dad," he says and quickly his father cracks him across the back of the head with his tail, forcing his boy down onto his neck and into a more aerodynamic position. Spyro turns his head slightly, giving his son a hard stare, all the while making sure he stays streamlined, keeping all the speed he can.

"I'm not five either, and your the one that got me in trouble with mom, so get those wings out young dragon and help me get away from her or I will tan your hide!"

"But I'll fly off your back at this speed..."

"JUST DO IT!"

Sparx heeds his father's words and stretches out his frame, however, upon lowering his hind legs back toward his father's front arms, Sparx realizes he's grown enough that he can finally reach them. For the first time in his life, he is able to lock himself down tightly, using his dad's biceps like a stirrup, and holding his horns for total stability. Quickly his wings are out to help his father's glide, and both dragons are impressed by the increase in speed.

From behind, Cynder enjoys the sight of her heroes, as they begin opening up a bigger lead. She is then shocked as the pair barrel-roll in perfect unison, nearly doubling their pace, and leaving the faster dragon in the dust.

Her heart pounds strong, hearing the joyful squeals of both her husband and son, as they reach speeds even she has trouble obtaining, and knowing this father and son are a tandem that will work well together forever...even when they are unhappy with each other.

The End

* * *

 **I dedicate this story to my brother, whom has yet to hear those words from his son, thankfully. And, since I have no kids, except his, I do enjoy teasing him about the 'what happens when' moments in the future...LOL**

 **Just wait until his daughter turns, say fourteen...I can see the story now.**

 **"Don't hit him, Daddy!" the striking pink and dark purple dragoness says to her father Spyro, quickly leaping between her dad and the Shadow Clan leader, Nutjob.**

 **"He's my new boyfriend!"**

 **It's nice to be just the cool uncle sometimes, and b able to simply say**

 **Sorry dude, they ain't my kids! LOL**


End file.
